From the author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series and editor of FundsforWriters.com.
Writing can be such a sweet life, once we decide to make it so.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Favorite Blogs and Why

Not long ago I spoke about what made for a good and a bad blog. A reader dared me to post specific blogs that caught my eye and why.

Keep in mind that naming my favorite blog is like naming my favorite song. A lot depends on what I've seen lately, or what comes out new. If you said new blog about grammar, or new blog about marketing, that might be easier, but even those jockey for attention, the bloggers struggling to best each other.

That's why I can never pick a favorite book. Or a favorite author. I'm usually in love with whatever's open on my nightstand. At present I'm reading The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King. LOVE it. Do NOT want it to end, and I find myself watching the clock, wanting to leave my computer and go to bed to read. (I was up until 4:40 AM this morning because I could not put it down.)

Call me fickle or call me open-minded, but I don't like being limited. I like what I like, and when I like someone, I'm loyal and spread the word. So here are a few of the blogs I frequent, and the reasons why.

Jeff Goins, Writer- "My name is Jeff Goins, and I’m a writer, idea guy, and difference-maker." He helps organizations with their marketing and communications...from home. You've never seen such a down-played bio in your life--from someone so gifted with his knowledge. He puts a practical spin on everything. But his writing ideas aren't commercial . . . they're softly spoken yet crystal clear and profound. I find myself quoting him on Twitter all the time. He doesn't have a post that I don't snag a line from, wishing it were mine. You can get his free ebook, The Writer's Manifesto. It was based on his blog post “Writers Don’t Write to Get Published,” and is a call-to-action for writers to fall back in love with the art of writing and to let go of the need to be affirmed. Join his newsletter mailing list and receive it free.

"Here’s one thing you can be sure of: I guarantee you won’t find your dream by standing still. Dreaming is laborious. Finding your life’s work will not be easy. You will have to work at it. It will require your action and reflection."

Justine Musk, Tribal Writer - She loves the word Badass, and she uses it so well. She drips attitude, but it's crisp, logical, daring and electrifying. She makes me want to be a more dynamic me as a writer, as a person. Arm-pumping. She was once married to Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal. She published two adult books, Blood Angel and Lord of Bones, as well as a young adult novel Uninvited. Her posts aren't necessarily daily, and they aren't often short, but I take the time to digest them when they arrive. From her bio: "The truest thing you have is your voice, and the power to use it."

From her post "You Have Permission Not to Wait for Permission" --- "What really hurts us, I think, is when we continue to play small even though we don’t ‘have’ to. We play by the rules instead of making our own. We’re told to sign on the dotted line, so we do, without understanding what it costs us. We take our hands down. We wait for permission"

What Not to Do as a Writer - Lisa Kilian (one L) - Yes, she cusses. It makes me smile. Her bio says: "Yes, I’ve been published. I’ve been published in your email, in your junk mail, on your radio, on your internetz, in those ads you ignore both online and off, and in some small lit mags. So far that’s it. Mostly because I keep making mistakes." That's fine by me, since I read a blog if I like it, not based on your fifteen novels, your three screenplays, or your twelve literary journal appearances. Touch me in the right place with your blog message, and I'll follow you anywhere. Savvy, testy, impish and sharp smart. I'm eager when she posts.

From her post "Mistake 120: But Dave Eggers Doesn't Use Dialogue Tags"-- "The thing is, you can obviously break rules. F*** rules. Who needs ‘em? The greats sure don’t. But the fact is that the greats aren’t just breaking rules willy-nilly and laughing at their own genius. Their rule-breaking is a kind of give and take. They find something new to do — and they find a way to clarify and qualify it. ... Cormac McCarthy . . . doesn’t even use quotation marks — not because he thought it would be cool, but because when you read without quotation marks everything sounds just a little more silent, just a little more lonely. So sure, break rules. But make sure you’re making all the considerations."

Okay, you love or hate my blog choices, but these three people are edgy, strong, and use more of their brain than the average blogger, in my opinion. I'll put it this way, these three stop me from working. I love kicking back and reading, then rereading, then studying their messages. That's called writing.

I recently found Jeff Goins myself and I love his writing! He is low key but his words are powerful. It doesn’t hurt that he looks like Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)!I am going now to check out the other two ladies.Thank you.

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Hope is founder of FundsforWriters.com. Find her clips in Writer's Digest, The Writer, and other trade magazines. Alma Mater is Clemson University which gives her an eerie love for all things orange. Her newest release is Palmetto Poison, released by Bell Bridge Books in February 2014. Lowcountry Bribe is the first in the Carolina Slade series. Tidewater Murder is the second. Available at Amazon, B&N and www.bellbridgebooks.com

Hope speaks to writers groups all over the country regarding earning a living as a writer, mystery writing, and her favorite subject, The Shy Writer. She lives on the banks of Lake Murray in SC.